My first quilt

I'm linking up today with Amy's Bloggers' Quilt Festival. It's so lovely to hear all about the background of a quilt - it makes the quilt even more special - when I am making something as a gift for something I am constantly thinking of them whilst I make it, and it seems like I'm not the only one.

Check out the main blog here (or click on the link to the left).

This is the story of my Wilding Angels Quilt and the story of how I started quilting:

I first saw the pattern for the quilt at a show at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, UK. It's a design by Debbie from Letters Tied with Blue and was on the Fat Quarters stall. I looked and looked at it. I have done cross stitch for ever, but I was really scared about embroidery without counted thread and patterns with symbols. We went back the next year and I looked at it again, and Debbie tried to convince me I could do it just fine. I went back the next year. Looked again. Walked away again.

Then Linda, my Mother-in-Law, took me on a class with Debbie - a Christmas Surprise Class: as part of the class we embroidered a very small angel design. I loved it! I signed up for another class at the end of January on my birthday. Even scarier than hand embroidery, this class required a sewing machine....

With my birthday money I bought the patterns and all the fabric for the Wilding Angels. And with the class I learnt how to use my sewing machine.

I started off at a gallop and then slowed down, because I was enjoying it so much I didn't want it to be finished. Finally, eighteen months later, once I had discovered a world of patterns to give me my embroidery fix (Vignette and Cinderberry Stitches at the moment) and a whole world of patchwork (Farmer's Wife, Sampler quilts), I completed the final embroidery, constructed the quilt top, hand quilted it and bound it.

This is where my hobby started - it is entirely Debbie's fault and she seems to be very proud of this fact :)

Thank you for reading my story. I have loads of quilts half made: hopefully by next time, I'll have one of these to share.